It's been a while

Life continues on at an increasingly hectic pace which has meant no time or energy for keeping blogs updated - there are simply not enough hours in the day and other things that are higher on the priority list :-)

The silkie toll has increased - we lost poor Miss Violet sometime Saturday night - she was an old chook so not unexpected but still sad. We now have only one Rooster and 3 Hens left of the 16 we bought back in May. We did get an autopsy done on one which didn't show anything unusual but the cost for the pathology was a lot more than we were prepared to pay. If we happen to lose the rest, we will clean out and disinfect the pen and leave it empty for at least 3 months before we try again.

On happier news, we bought about 30 Isa Brown hens at the Ballimore Auction last month of differing ages. We lost one but she seemed to have a tumor or something on her foot. The rest are going well and we are getting between 6 and 15 eggs a day at the moment! They are the funniest things and follow you everywhere! When mum is gardening they go right up to the fence waiting for the weeds that she throws to them :-)

The three Silkie cross(?) roosters are still going great guns - they are sweet guys and we hope to pair them up with some hens in the future.

The Silkies have been laying an egg about every second day or so. We have about 15 now - we were hoping to hatch some if they were fertilised. Not sure that is going to happen now.

Time for a post

I haven't been posting much on anything lately - work is super busy so I don't feel like doing much when I get home.

We haven't had much luck with our silkie's - we have lost ten of the 16 we bought back in May. Really don't know what is happening and they are going one at a time :-( Not good. Hopefully things will start settling down.

I'll try and get a photo or two on the weekend as a couple of them have the best top knots :-)

Not having much luck with chickens lately......

The one with the sore leg had to be put down, another Silkie broke a leg and died, and a third one appears to be not well. We also lost Shadow the Chook (one of the three I hand raised). Found her dead on the ground in the hen house a fortnight ago - very sad.

On the upside - we got three eggs today!

Chickeny goodness

Well, not much news has been happening here - I know it is the oldest excuse in the book but I am just too busy to be posting. I usually remember when I am just drifting off to sleep and I am not dedicated enough to get up and say something! LOL

We have gone from 18 Silkies to 17 - we had one of the grey ones die about ten days ago. I suspect she went out of the hen house in the cold and couldn't find her way back in and froze - or, she jumped out of the tree and killed herself. This is not as odd as it sounds, you see, our new lot of silkies are rather energetic and love to chase each other around the pen playing games. There is one particular tree in their enclosure that has a sloping branch from the ground that they like to climb. They then wait until another chicken walks underneath and they jump on them. It is hillarious!!! (However, potentially dangerous.) So, not sure if the cold got our little hen or if perhaps she had a misadventure when playing in the tree. Or the third option - was she pushed?

So, now we put a board in front of the opening to the hen house to ensure no little rascals go out in the cold at night. They have feed, plenty of straw and little hidey places to sleep. I just need to get a self waterer in there! Part of the delight with this is I get to let them out of a morning. They cheep to me when they hear me coming and the more I talk to them, the more they cheep. It is rather sweet actually - then there is the race for who is out the door first! LOL They follow me everywhere ;-) The funny thing is, the bigger chickens in the other pen follow me along the fence line and 'talk' to me too. I must admit, it is one of my favourite things to do each morning! I know, I'm a bit clucky - just call me the chicken lady!

We also have a broody hen in the large chicken pen - not sure that she is sitting well enough to hatch them though. We have let her keep four eggs and will see how it goes although I am not sure there is much of a chance for success........

Week one down.........

and all our new fuzzies are doing well - they still need putting away of a night time as they don't go in on their own. Here are some photos of them........

The new chickies have arrived!

But I don't have time right now to go through all the details ;-) Got them from a lovely breeder at Lue (near Mudgee) - 15 pullets and 2 cockerels. They are safe and happy at home - we need to put them in the hen house though each night as they don't go in on their own yet. Works out okay though 'cause this way they get used to being handled! Photos to come this weekend!

Ten more sleeps

until we get our baby chickies.

We got four eggs yesterday as opposed to one so the girls must be settling in okay.

That is all.

Rooster has gone to his new home

which is great. After many laughs catching him, he went with his new owners. Now just to get rid of the 3 silkie crosses! LOL We will hang on to them until the 20 June where if we haven't found new homes for them they will go to the general auction.

Only 12 more sleeps until we pick up our new babies........

A new home found for one rooster......

Well, it looks like the 'big fella' has found a new home. A guy is coming to pick him up on Saturday which is great! Then it's just the three silkie crosses left ;-) If worst comes to worst, we will hang onto them until we can get to the Ballimore Auction in June (can't make the May one due to having other commitments).

Got sent a photo of a sister to the chickies we are picking up in Mudgee - she is so cute! (Here is her photo.) Counting down - I can't wait! Isn't she just the cutest?

And here are the boys

that need a new home. We think we may have found one for Napoleon though ;-) (He is the first one.)

Eggcitement!

Sorry, couldn't help myself! LOL

The reason I am so excited, is we have found some young Silkie pullets to buy. T and I are going to Mudgee on the 23/24 May and we will be picking them up then. We are going to get 15 pullets and 1 cockerel. Looks like we might be able to swap our rooster for the cockerel - much more sensible I think to have them all the same age! Yay for fluff balls of chickeny goodness! I can't wait!

New chook pen complete!

After an exhausting weekend, we got the chook pen completed! Yay! I was too tired last night to post and need to download the photos onto my computer - maybe tonight.

So, we have the three roosters we need new homes for in the old pen (wondering where the heck everyone has gone), a silkie cross rooster (we have named Napoleon), Miss Violet (our silkie hen) and Sylvanus (the bantam) in one pen, and the Plymouth Rock rooster and 9 hens in the other pen! We are trying to find someone that has Silkie hens for sale - we want about another ten for Napoleon.

One thing we didn't think of was that Violet used to sleep with the Australorp who is now in the other pen. She keeps sitting at the fence and wouldn't go into the shed last night. When it was dark we put her in and she didn't come out until morning - I think we will need to keep an eye on her for a bit. Although we have only had her about 12 months she is 7 years old.

Napoleon thinks Violet is a bit of all right but she wants nothing to do with him! It is quite funny but on a more serious note, we will need to keep an eye on that.

This morning they were out foraging and scratching and making content noises - hopefully we will see some eggs again soon!

Anyone want a rooster or three?

We have two Silkie crosses and another (breed unknown) that need a new home. We have gone from 15 roosters down to five, but three of those are still surplus to our needs. Ask around - let me know if you find someone that wants them and can pick them up from Dubbo *grin*. BTW - they are free :-) I'll take a photo of them on the weekend and put here too.

Plans for the weekend

Terry and I finally got around to having the chicken debate and decide what of our stock needs to go. We have five roosters - we can keep two - so which three to give their marching orders?

When we finish the new pen, the changes will be:
* The Plymouth Rock rooster, the three PR hens, two other hens, Australorp and our three hens will go into one pen. This will be for the bigger chickens and hopefully our 'productive' ones! I think Terry, mum and dad want to add a couple of Isa Brown's to this flock too for their egg laying ability.
* We will keep the biggest Silkie X rooster (who will need a name of course - hmmm will have to think on that one), Violet (the Silkie) and Lucky (the little modern hen that has survived) who will go into the other pen. We then plan on getting some more Silkie hens for that pen.
* The other big rooster and the two silkie cross roosters will stay in the existing pen until we can get them to Ballimore auction.

So, lots to do this weekend!

Our little hen passed away

She moved on through the night - I'm not surprised, just a little sad we couldn't do more for her. It was zero here at 7am this morning so when I heard that I knew she wouldn't have made it. At least she isn't suffering now.

Modern Bantam hen

is still alive and eating and drinking but cannot move her leg yet. She is getting around in a manner of speaking and we are keeping an eye on her - making sure she is sheltered and can access food and clean water. Time will tell if it is enough........

A very brief update

Finally got some work done on the chook pen this weekend. One side has the wire complete - just need to put in some nesting boxes and roosts as well as partially close in the front wall. The other side needs nesting boxes and roosts and we are about 1/3 the way through the fencing. Hope to finish it next weekend so we can move the chooks!

We are going to keep the old pen, make it a bit smaller and convert it into a cat/dog pen. That way Rex (one of the cats who is a house cat for his own safety) can spend some time outside when the weather is nice. We we also have a place to put the dogs when we need to lock them up (which isn't often). Much more preferable than having to chain them up!

One of our little Modern Bantam hens has had an accident - I found her yesterday afternoon with her leg caught under a rock. She cannot walk on it - not sure if it is broken or if it just went numb on her. She was eating heartily so hopefully she will be okay - the boys are going to check on her for me today.

Will try and get some photos on the weekend of the new chook yard :-)

Chickies have gone into the big pen now

It's hard to believe but these are my three babies. It's actually an awesome feeling to know that I helped them get a good start on life ;-) They have settled in well in the small pen (otherwise known as the Silkie pen, although we only have one Silkie left). Funnily enough it was one of the tiny bantams that put up a bit of a peck but that didn't last long ;-) Still no progress on the new pen - too many other things on at the moment!

It's been a while.....

things have been really hectic with a whole range of things! The three young chickens are doing well and growing amazingly! It looks like we have one rooster and two hens. George did end up being a George ;-) I haven't had a chance to do photos yet but hope to soon.

Once we get Border War done (SCA stuff) we hope to get back to work on the new chook yards!

My babies have moved out........

and into larger accommodation. The chicks were getting too big for the box in our ensuite so we have made a bigger 'cage' for them. They are now in the new chook house (the yard is not yet complete). They will be 4 weeks old tomorrow - so hard to believe!

The new chook house (the yard still has to get done - when the weather cools down) - it is in amongst trees and a cooler spot than the existing chook yard.

Their new box.......

This is Shadow.........

This is Custard......

And this is George or Georgina - depending on whether the chick turns out to be a he or a she!

Update on my feathered friends

There has been no further progress on the new chook pen - too darn hot!!! The chickies are still happily living in my ensuite and are growing fast! They are losing their down and getting their feathers. We need to build them a box so they can go outside for some time through the day and back in at night. It's hard to believe but they will be 4 weeks old on Friday! I'll try and get some photos this afternoon when we clean their cage out.

Chook progress

So far so good - the three chicks are happy and healthy and growing incredibly fast!

All our other chooks are okay too despite the weather warming up - hopefully they stay that way!

No more progress on the chook houses - it may be a little while before we get back to them, too much else on at the moment!

Chickies are one week old today

and they are doing well so far! I can see their wing feathers starting to grow and they stretch their little legs and wings often! I am constantly surprised by how fast they are - even playing what looks like 'tag' around their box ;-) They are eating and drinking well and seem to be quite healthy for now - keeping fingers crossed!

Not sure if we will get much done on the new chook pen this weekend, they are forcasting storms and rain (and it has just been too hot) - not to mention we have lots of SCA stuff to do at the moment! (See here if you want to know what I am talking about.) Lots of armour to make and sewing to do!

Here are some of the other chooks

Okay, did a count tonight. We have four roosters and five hens in one pen, and one rooster and 4 hens in the other pen. Once we get the new pens built we will re-look at our stock. I think the 3 silkie cross roosters can go back to the auction and we will keep the one 'big fella' that I think is the dad of our chicks. The other rooster can stay too as he is in the other pen and is quite quiet. If our chicks turn out to be roosters not sure what we will do - they may go to the auction or we may keep the old pen and keep them over there as the bachelor pad ;-) LOL I don't think I could part with out first chicks...........of course that is if they survive, after all they are not quite a week old yet!

The new area for the Poultry Palace

This is the area where we are going to build the poultry palace - I will be able to watch my chickens from the kitchen window and dining room. The fence has now been pulled down between the BBQ area and the alloted spot. My mum is a keen gardener so she will be putting lots of geraniums and the like around the outside of the chook yard to help with visual appeal and smell ;-) My lovely husband is also going to build me a 'proper' chook house with raised timber floor so it will be easier to clean and help with air circulation (especially in summer). The current chook yard is not that far from the house and we rarely get smell so I cannot see it being a problem for us. I'm really starting to get excited about the whole idea!

The current chicken accommodation

Photo taken from the back of our house (near the BBQ area). This is where the chickens currently live until we get their poultry palace built ;-)

More photos of the chickalings (as they have become known)

My 14 year old son made the box and my 11 year old has adopted them (he is referred to as the 'mother hen' ;-))

A couple of photos of the new chicks

It is now 4 days after they have been 'discovered' - not sure if it was their hatching date though ;-)

What came first - the chicken or the egg?

To that - I have no answer and I am not going to get my brain in a knot trying to figure it out! LOL

I wanted a space to diarise some of my chicken thoughts and ideas. Yes, I am probably a tad eccentric or should that be eggcentric? okay, enough of the puns!

We have been keeping chickens for a couple of years now with moderate success - things go along alright for a while and then we usually have a few tragedies. The latest is the death of our mother hen with six chicks - one chick also died, two went missing and the other three are living in my bathroom. It is the first time we have had live chicks so it was a pretty exciting event. My husband grew up on the land so for him it is 'meh' but for me (who grew up in the city and only went west when I was 19) and our three boys it is a new experience! I actually love my chickens - I find them fascinating to watch and they have their own personalities. I have decided this year I want to learn about raising chickens properly and have set out to learn as much as I can - I think I may join the local poultry club too. I have books to read and plans to make......

At the moment, we have about 5 roosters (long story - we did have about 15!) and about 8 or 10 hens (I want to count them and start keeping records - see which ones do well and which ones don't). One of the hens is too old to lay (she was a pity case) and is more of a pet - she is a cute little white Silkie. We get between 4 and 10 eggs a day depending on the weather - it is really hot at the moment so they are not laying. We have a large pen that is divided into a smaller yard (the Silkie pen -which contains a Wyondotte rooster and hen, a modern game hen, an Australorp hen and the Silkie hen) - this was more for our fragile and invalid stock ;-) The larger pen has 3 Silkie cross roosters, another gorgeous rooster (don't know the breed) and the rest of the hens, most of which are referred to as the 'owl faces' due to the feathering on their faces - I have no idea what breed they are! The chook house is made out of recycled tin and wood and has netting on some walls to allow for ventilation. The yard is on a bit of a slope and the ground is hard and rocky (hence some of the foot injuries the chooks have had). There is some shade but not enough for our liking. We have picked a new site near our house where there are lots of shady pine trees, soft dirt for scratching and very few rocks. We plan to build a 'poultry palace' there off the ground to allow for better air circulation and easier cleaning. We will have two yards and a seperate smaller brooding pen (each with their own accommodation). At the moment, the low fence seperating the two yards is causing issues as some of the chooks have been trying to 'hop' across and have been getting caught. I also want to get hanging feeders and waterers which will be easier to fill and maintain, rather than the ground dishes we have at the moment. I am even looking at an automatic waterer for the hotter weather. I will also be setting up properly to hand raise any future chicks. I also want a small pen and box set up for any sick or injured chooks we may get so I can look after them better. Hmmmm, big plans afoot! LOL

I think we are going to have to name our three little chicks, and even if they end up being roosters I can see us keeping them as they will be 'the first' hand raised chickens we have ever had (providing they survive of course). We thought if they do turn out to be roosters we would take them to the auction but I don't know if we will be able to part with these three special ones. *sigh*

Apparently yesterday, the yellow one 'accidently' got out when our youngest son was cleaning the cage. Apparently Rex the cat went to have a sniff, the chick pecked his nose, the cat ran, and the chick chased. Would have been hilarious! I reminded the boys though it could have ended very differently and they need to be more careful! I couldn't stop chuckling though everytime I pictured it!

Will try and upload some photos tonight - for now it is back to work!